M&A activity within the third party logistics provider (3PL) sector in 2015 continues at last year’s brisk pace, with global companies betting not only on growth in shipping, but on more shippers wanting to outsource their logistics. In November, French logistics...
Slowdown at Top US Ports: Bad News for Economy?
America’s busiest ports are sending a warning about the US economy, according to the Wall Street Journal. Citing data from Zepol (now part of Datamyne), the WSJ reports that imports at the three busiest ports – Los Angeles, Long Beach, and New York-New Jersey – fell...
New Report Ranks NVOCCs in US Maritime Imports
Datamyne’s new quarterly ranking report on the top 20 NVOCCs (non-vessel operating common carriers) in US maritime import trade wraps up 2014 with Expeditors International of Washington (EXDO), Blue Anchor America Line (BANQ), and Christal Lines (CHSL) ranked No. 1, 2...
Hot Properties: Freight Forwarder, NVOCC M&As Stoked
December’s string of acquisitions in the global logistics sector – including Berkshire Hathaway’s acquisition of Charter Brokerage, FedEx’s of GENCO, C.H. Robinson’s of Freightquote.com – seems likely to stoke this year’s trend to more M&A activity in transport,...
Bechtel Floats Plan for Offshore Port on East or Gulf Coast
by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor Bechtel is proposing to build an offshore port along the East Coast or Gulf Coast. The behemoth engineering company says the new port, with an annual capacity of 4 million TEUs, would eliminate the need for hugely expensive dredging of...
Air or Sea, a Rose by Either Transport Is Still a Sweet Valentine
Buying (or expecting) roses for Valentine’s Day? Your long-stems will be among 196 million roses produced for Valentine’s Day (according to Statistic Brain) and, odds are, they’re just off the plane from South America. There’s a small but growing chance, though, that...
The Boxes under the White House Christmas Tree
Over at the World Bank blog The Trade Post, the stacked cargo shipping containers under the Christmas tree on the Ellipse south of the White House in Washington, DC, are seen as a signal of US support for an open and revived international trading system – one more...
California and the Pacific Pumas
Latin America’s Pacific Alliance trade bloc creates trade opportunities beyond the region. They are Latam’s fastest-growing economies, market-driven and sustaining an expanded middle class. The four countries of the Pacific Alliance – Chile, Colombia, Mexico, and Peru...
Supply / Demand Imbalance Stabilizes Container Rates
Carriers can’t get together behind rate increases; smooth sailing for exporters | by Bill Armbruster, blog anchor. Container carriers insist they need more revenue to offset costs, but they will probably get little or no increase in rates anytime soon. The reasons are...
CBP Sets Sequestration Cargo Priorities
Cuts will be made across the board, with no preference by port of arrival US Customs and Border Protection released its framework for minimizing the impact on trade of budget cuts mandated under sequestration, which became effective March 1. Key points: Companies...